More on the New Raid World Championships

Rob / 07.08.2003

An interview on the X-adventure web site with race organiser Alain Gaimard as revealed more about the new Raid World Championships, which replaces the Raid Gauloises and will begin in 2004.

After some surprise at the initial announcement, and questions about the ‘loss’ of the Raid Gauloises, already scheduled for Peru next year, Gaimard explained the reasoning and justification for the changes.

\"Our experience of the 2002-2003 season showed us that it was urgent to align the calendars over a single season. One reason was to ensure a better understanding of the event and another was to avoid making the qualified teams wait until the following season before competing for The Raid World Championship,\" he explained. (Teams in this year’s Raid Gauloises, qualified in last year’s X-adventure series and had to wait 6 months for the ‘final’ to take place.)

The title of the event might have changed but Gaimard claimed the principles and philosophy behind it remain the same as the new race will “preserve the spirit of an expeditionary race: a race destined for the discipline’s elite, disputed over long distance, providing the world’s top teams with the challenge of finding their way on a quest to the ends of the earth”.

“Only the composition of the teams will be modified compared to the last Raid Gauloises,” he said. \"To synchronize the two formats, we chose to adopt for The Raid World Championship the same formula used on the qualifying series the X-adventure Raid Series: in other words, mixed teams of three, plus one substitute/assistant.\"

Saga d’Aventures have gone some way towards seeking official approval for the new World Championship, in particular talking to the AGFIS-GAIS (General Association of International Sports Federations), but it’s credibility among racers will depend on attracting the best teams, and making it a truly global series. These are goals they have been moving towards over the last couple of years and bringing the USA into a greater involvement was one key reason the Raid Gauloises had to go.

”Leaving behind the name Raid Gauloises and embracing a title in keeping with that of \"World Championship\" in particular opens the doors to the extensive American media,” said Gaimard. He also confirmed that he is finalising negotiations with one of the principal television networks in the United States that should lead to a partnership “ensuring an unprecedented audience for adventure sports, initially benefiting the athletes engaged in the X-adventure Raid Series and the future World Championship”.